Grab the Regressor by the Collar and Debut!

Chapter 89. Soccer Is Played with Feet, Basketball with Hands (3)

In the end, Hajin could only gain his freedom once lunchtime arrived.

Today’s lunch wasn’t a packed lunch, but food from a catering truck. Nam Daun, today’s special MC, had personally prepared it, saying he wanted to buy lunch for his juniors.

Hajin filled his tray with as much food as he could from the catering truck, something he rarely got to eat even during his assistant director days.

‘This is the only chance.’

Hajin’s eyes gleamed like a hyena in the jungle eyeing its prey. In his view, the members of the Yellow Team, split into two groups, came into sight.

The first group consisted of Kim Wonho and Lee Doha.

‘Honestly, it would be easier with them….’

The problem was that the mission difficulty on that side was extremely high.

Lunchtime was only an hour, and it didn’t seem feasible to achieve something deep enough to recruit a colleague and raise trust within that time frame.

Hajin turned his head to check the second group eating at the table right next to him.

‘That’s an unexpected combination.’

Seo Taehyun and Lee Yugeon.

Both were from the special class, so he figured they would naturally be close….

The two seemed even closer than Hajin had thought.

‘Wasn’t Lee Yugeon the type to shun the world?’

He was always alone in the waiting room or practice room, so Hajin thought he was a solitary lynx type. Surprisingly, since the sports day began, Lee Yugeon had been talking and joking a lot with Seo Taehyun.

‘Well, Lee Doha treats everyone the same. I felt like I got closer to Kim Wonho last time when we were on Team A…. But it’s surprising that he’s close to Seo Taehyun.’

Hajin, who was pondering, eventually walked toward the table where Taehyun and Yugeon were sitting. Today, he needed to figure out what kind of guy Yugeon was.

“Kangha hyung, come quickly. Sit wherever you feel comfortable.”

“Your table looks too small. I’ll sit here.”

“Yes, that’s what I wanted to say.”

Passing by Kim Wonho’s table, which didn’t seem to have any room to sit, Hajin dragged a chair over to the table where Taehyun and Yugeon were sitting.

As Hajin made eye contact with Yugeon during this process, he smiled warmly. Then, he naturally made a remark.

“Wow, Yugeon, you’re really good at sports. I was being scolded by Taehyun all day today, but I survived thanks to you guys.”

With a look that said, ‘I want to get close to him, so cooperate,’ he sent an SOS signal to Seo Taehyun. Noticing the look while sipping the well-cooked soybean paste soup, Taehyun put down his spoon and joined the conversation.

“He’s good at anything physical. He even knows how to b-boy.”

“Oh, really? Yugeon, you b-boy? That’s awesome.”

Praising naturally, Hajin threw a glance at him. Lee Yugeon, who was chewing stir-fried fish cakes between the two, looked at Hajin with a bewildered face and nodded slightly. Then, he looked at Seo Taehyun as if he was incredulous.

“What?”

“What?”

“Why are you praising me just because this hyung is here?”

“Oh, what are you talking about now.”

“Seo Taehyun, you were just nagging me to do it right… Ow!”

“Hey, just eat your food.”

Seo Taehyun mercilessly poked Yugeon’s side as he complained. Seeing this, Hajin couldn’t hide his slight surprise.

‘They really must be close.’

Seo Taehyun was the type who became more friendly and kind when dealing with strangers or people he found difficult.

Because he had been in the entertainment industry since he was young, he had developed a habit of treating people nicely if he didn’t know them well.

‘Instead, if he thinks he’s close, he acts comfortably.’

For Seo Taehyun to be joking around and even making physical contact?

This meant Taehyun considered Yugeon quite close.

“Hyung, did you see that? Don’t leave. If you do, he’ll… Ow!”

“Yugeon, aren’t you hungry? Just eat your food. Stop talking nonsense.”

“Stop pinching me, seriously. It really hurts.”

Lee Yugeon even casually engaged in playful conversation with Hajin.

So, he’s not the type to be wary of people? As Hajin became more confused about understanding Yugeon, he felt a bit flustered.

‘Well, come to think of it, he did approach me first back then.’

It was when he had asked him to choose the second mission song for Kim Wonho.

Hajin closely observed the increasingly suspicious Yugeon. Without needing to do much himself, it was easy to watch since Taehyun and Yugeon were busy squabbling.

“Seriously, I’m getting up because of Seo Taehyun’s bullying.”

“Funny. Do you think I don’t know you’re going to get more side dishes?”

“Whoa, you got me. …Do you need anything? Hyung, do you need anything?”

“No, I’m good. Wow, but don’t pretend in front of hyung. Seriously.”

“I’m fine too.”

Lee Yugeon casually picked up his tray and stood up.

After watching him joke around with Seo Taehyun, Hajin thought he might be a lightweight type, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

The way he naturally asked Taehyun and Hajin if they needed anything showed he had taken care of people before.

‘Now it’s really suspicious.’

That kind of consideration was not easy for an ordinary 19-year-old high school boy.

His social skills weren’t bad either, yet he had been distancing himself from the other trainees. Not to mention his remark about not wanting to debut last time….

‘Is that guy really a Chosen Regressor?’

Beep beep, warning signals went off in his head. Anyway, it was certain that he was a suspicious guy.

As Yugeon walked towards the catering truck, Hajin scooted his chair closer to Taehyun and cautiously initiated a conversation.

“You must be close with him? You even joke around.”

“Oh, since Cha Minseok left… we were the only ones of the same age in the special class.”

Oh, here comes the name of that Voldemort-like bastard again….

An implicit name ban made the atmosphere slightly somber. Sensing this, Taehyun quickly continued speaking.

“Anyway, we somehow got close. We’re both in the dance position too.”

“I didn’t know he was so playful. He seemed quiet.”

“Hyung, is this your first time talking to him? That’s all just an act. You should see how he is with me.”

While listening to Taehyun’s explanation, Hajin checked on Yugeon, who was far away. Yugeon seemed to be waiting for a staff member at the catering truck, as if something had gone wrong.

So, if he wanted to get more clues through Taehyun, now was the time.

“But despite that, he doesn’t seem to get along well with the other special class kids? So I thought he was a bit like Eunchan.”

Hajin cautiously shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. The sharp-witted Taehyun quickly shook his head, realizing the underlying meaning.

“Oh. No, no. Han Sungwoo hyung didn’t bother him.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“Yugeon, well…. Hmm, he doesn’t really have close friends besides me, but he’s not a bad guy.”

Although Taehyun swallowed his words, he still ended on a positive note about Yugeon.

And that only fueled Hajin’s suspicion.

‘If he’s not a problematic guy, then why does he seem uninterested in debuting but still stick around here?’

Of all times, Thirteen was absent during this crucial moment. He had been quiet for a while, so Hajin wondered what he was up to….

[System Notification: Tired of the Chosen Regressor’s terrible athletic skills, taking a short break.]

[System Notification: (Catching up on pending tasks….)]

[System Notification: (System maintenance in progress….)]

‘Useless, really useless.’

At that moment, Yugeon, who had successfully refilled his side dishes, was returning to the table.

Hajin decided to put the conversation about Yugeon on hold for now. If the conversation went any deeper, Taehyun, who was quick-witted, might start questioning his behavior, which would be problematic.

But then Taehyun, seemingly deep in thought, propped his arm on the table, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at Hajin. He then smiled as if he couldn’t help but find it amusing and said this.

“Hyung, so you kept talking to him?”

“Uh?”

“Seriously, you’re something.”

“…What?”

“Were you worried he might be ostracized like Eunchan and took extra care of him?”

No, that’s not it….

Hajin tried to hide his puzzled expression. And he responded.

“Just, he reminded me of my younger brother.”

Seeing Taehyun interpreting Hajin’s answer in his own favorable way, smiling and shaking his head, Hajin felt a slight pang of conscience but tried to ignore it.

‘Sorry, Hawon. I’m going to use you a bit more today.’

Kang Hajin’s #Misunderstanding continues to work hard today!

* * *

After lunch, the second part of the sports day continued.

If the first part focused on showcasing the trainees’

excellent athletic abilities, the second part was about capturing genuine entertainment moments.

-Ladies and gentlemen! From now on, by the authority of this special MC! There are bonus points!

Nam Daun, who had barely restrained himself during his first meeting with the juniors (and that was him holding back), unleashed himself.

-What is the most important thing in an idol sports day?

-First place? No. Winning? Nope.

-It’s about looking handsome! Being cool! Those moments like in a college of physical education! The visuals of a youthful sports movie!

-So from now on, trainees who create handsome moments during the game will receive a bonus of 100 points!!!!

Nam Daun’s command to look handsome sent the trainees into a panic.

Look handsome? What’s that? How do we do that?

While everyone was bewildered, the first trainee to receive bonus points appeared.

-Oh, foul! That’s a foul, Captain Jung Siwoo.

During a foot baseball game, Jung Siwoo’s kick went out of bounds, resulting in a foul. However, Jung Siwoo did not seem flustered by the foul and continued with his next move.

-Oh, what is he doing now?

He calmly swept his covered bangs back with one hand and looked into the distance as if he had just hit a home run!

With one hand shading his eyes from the sun and slightly squinting one eye….

-Oh!!!! He’s handsome!!

…He looked undeniably handsome.

His face, befitting the nickname “first love manipulator,” made everyone miss the non-existent first love from the baseball club.

-Captain Jung Siwoo!!! 100 bonus points!!!

-Haha. Thank you~.

‘Isn’t this advantageous only to the handsome guys?’ people might think, but Nam Daun had a fair standard.

He distributed points to anyone who created moments that fans would love, not just those who were ‘objectively’ handsome.

-Oh, Phoenix Team! I’m giving bonus points for that scene of checking on a fallen teammate and helping them up with one hand!

-Wow, Lee Parang! I’m giving 100 bonus points for that wink to the camera right after falling down!

-Captain Seo Taehyun, what are you doing instead of crossing the finish line? …Oh! He’s doing the ending fairy pose! Bonus points!

As a result, understanding the system became more important than the actual game, and the trainees put in all sorts of efforts to create it moments.

In short, it was chaos.

‘I can’t even guess how this will be broadcasted.’

Lying flat on the ground, Hajin faced the reality as he thought.

After posing as models with Kim Wonho instead of bowling, he was overwhelmed by Seo Taehyun’s pressure, driven by the allure of the benefits.

After repeating such games a few times, the end of the sports day finally approached.

“Everyone, did you have fun today?”

“…Yes!”

“Huh? That’s a weak response. Did you have fun!”

“Yes!!!”

Nam Daun kept pushing the trainees until the very end. Hajin was now beyond admiration, acknowledging Nam Daun’s transcendent endurance.

‘How does he shout for 6 hours straight without losing his voice?’

Amazing….

While Hajin admired once more, giving a thumbs-up inwardly, the winning team of the day was finally announced.

“The winning team today is….”

After a moment of suspense, Nam Daun unfolded a scroll he held vertically. The color inside the scroll revealed the winning team.

And inside the unfolded scroll was a sea of purple….

‘Huh? Purple?’

“Today’s winning team is the Lilac Team! Congratulations!!!”

How?

Everyone looked around with wide eyes, not understanding. Even the members of the Lilac Team seemed bewildered.

“While you were all focused on earning bonus points and neglecting the games, the Lilac Team steadily played and accumulated winning points!”

“……”

“I distributed bonus points evenly among the teams, so it makes sense that the team with the most game points wins, right?”

“……”

“So, everyone, you can’t let your guard down even for a moment in entertainment~.”

Nam Da, no, everyone was speechless at the bombastic Namti’s comment.

The captain of the Lilac Team, Gong Seok, who unexpectedly received the trophy and benefits, took the microphone with a stiff face.

“Uh…. Um. Th-thank you. So, uh… I dedicate this honor to Destiny?”

“Great speech!”

Following Nam Daun’s gesture to applaud, the trainees clapped and cheered like reaction machines. Joining in the applause, Hajin thought.

‘I’m going to expose Nam Daun’s private account when I get home….’

There might not be much to say, but he would do it anyway.

‘I can’t believe I lost in entertainment sense!’

Former variety show PD Kang Hajin. He was thoroughly defeated by a 13-year-old pro idol.